Published on 2 min read
Empty legs: how to fly private for less
What empty-leg flights are, why they cost less, and the trade-offs to weigh before you book one.
When a jet repositions without passengers, the seats are still there. Here is how empty legs work, when they are a bargain and when a regular charter is the safer choice.
What an empty leg is
Private jets rarely finish a trip where they started. When an aircraft drops its passengers in Nice and has to fly back to its base in London, or on to its next pickup in Geneva, that repositioning flight would otherwise fly with nobody on board. This is an empty leg.
Rather than fly the leg empty, operators often offer it to travellers at a reduced price. For anyone whose plans happen to match the route, it can be the most affordable way to fly privately.
Why empty legs cost less
The original charter has already covered the cost of getting the aircraft into position, so any revenue from the return leg is a bonus for the operator. That is why the price can be well below a normal one-way charter on the same route.
How much you save depends on the aircraft, the route and how close to departure the leg comes up. Legs offered at short notice tend to be the best value, because the operator has the least time left to find a passenger.
The trade-offs to know
An empty leg follows someone else's schedule. The route, the aircraft and the departure time are fixed by the original booking, and if that trip moves or is cancelled, the empty leg can move or disappear with it.
How to find one
Tell us the routes you fly most often and how flexible your dates are when you request a quote. If an empty leg lines up with your plans, we will suggest it alongside a regular charter, so you can compare the price and the risk side by side.
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